6 of the best healthy foods to strengthen your teeth
Do you want to strengthen your teeth? Our diet should be one of our main concerns. Besides the fact that it clearly shows on our waist, a poor diet can also lead to various ailments. Bad teeth are one of the first signs of unhealthy eating. Luckily, when it comes to food, the range of products is quite generous. This diversity allows us to choose foods that are both tasty and healthy. Here are five essential, natural foods (and a beverage!) that will strengthen your teeth*.
What foods improve your teeth?
Obviously, brushing and flossing twice daily is something we all know will help to keep our teeth and gums healthy, but there is a little more to good dental health than that. Eating a tooth-friendly diet, for example, can really make a difference and ensure that, not only is your smile brighter, but your teeth and gums are a whole lot healthier too. Here are some tooth-friendly diet tips for better dental health.
You might have heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor at bay, but what if it’s the dentist you’re looking to keep your distance from? No one likes having poor tooth health, not only do bad teeth look bad, they can hurt and give us headaches, soreness, irritability and can be expensive to fix.
Here are the 6 top healthy foods to strengthen your teeth
1. Water
OK – so it’s not technically a food at all but it will potentially strengthen your teeth. Drinking enough water is necessary for our health. Hydration enhances the body’s main functions. Our teeth can also draw benefits. If you drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, you enhance oral hygiene. Water helps you keep your teeth clean. It will remove most of the debris that gets stuck between the teeth. Water prevents the formation of harmful bacteria in the mouth and refreshes the breath.
It is also recommended to have a glass of water after drinking coffee or alcohol. These are very acid beverages that are potentially harmful to the teeth. Always drink water after you finished this drinks. This rule is also applicable to soft drinks which are not the best option for our oral health. If you can’t give up this habit, at least try to pick the healthiest sodas.
Being hydrated is always a health ‘positive’. If you want your teeth to look good and be healthy, you need to avoid sugary sodas, hot chocolates, and syrup laden coffees. For the most part, you should be drinking water with the occasional unsweetened tea or coffee (sugar and syrups cause tooth decay). Swishing water around your mouth after eating will also help to remove stuck food particles for better dental health.
3. Fresh fruits
Foods like oranges, kiwis, limes or strawberries are highly effective in killing the harmful bacteria in the mouth. They also strengthen and protect the gums against common conditions like gingivitis. The high amounts of citric acids they contain can harm the teeth’s outer layer. To protect the teeth’s enamel against erosion after you’ve eaten citric fruits, wait at least half an hour before brushing. The acid alone is strong enough and scrubbing the teeth with toothpaste increases the erosive effects. So, don’t forget about the 30 minutes’ rule. It goes for all acid foods.
Apples: If you want to steer clear of cavities, apples are a trustful alley. They contain high levels of fiber and a lot of vitamins. They act just like carrots by increasing saliva production. Eating an apple 30 minutes after lunch is a healthy habit you should take to. Apples help you clean the teeth and refresh your breath after a heavy meal. Moreover, these fruits successfully replace any snack. They contain a lot of water which mitigates the hunger sensation.
3. Vegetables rich in Vitamin C
Vegetables that give you a Vitamin C boost will make you feel more energised and improve your skin aspect. When it comes to the teeth, they provide similar effects. However, there is a limitation in eating these veggies. Ideally, you should include all these ingredients in your diet, but maybe not all of them appeal to you. So just choose the foods you like best and try to eat them frequently. One last reminder: wash your teeth after each meal. No matter how healthy your diet is, it can’t account for strong teeth unless you brush properly. The 6 foods to strengthen your teeth listed here should really help you.
Celery: Celery is another key ingredient that can help you avoid tooth decay. This is not something you eat daily, but try to add it to soups or other dishes every now and then. Celery will help you clean the teeth and get rid of all the harmful particles that hide there after each meal. It also contains a large amount of Vitamin C and antioxidants that strengthen the teeth and keep them caries-free.
Carrots: You’ve probably been nagged about this before, but eating carrots is quite a healthy habit. This superfood is one of the most recommend ingredients for strong teeth. Besides, it also brings a lot of benefits to your sight. Carrots are rich in fibers and vitamins. This makes them boost your teeth and give them a healthy look. Carrots also help you maintain the oral hygiene because they increase saliva secretion which prevents caries.
4. Proteins
Eating more protein isn’t just good for building muscle and enabling the body to repair itself, it’s also great for teeth because healthy proteins like chicken, nuts, and eggs contain phosphorus and calcium which is needed to remineralise the teeth and strengthen enamel, and will be relevant to foods to improve your teeth Since it is the loss of enamel that often makes teeth look yellow, this is very important.
Of course, you should still ensure that you brush your teeth, floss daily and make regular appointments with your dentist too. The right food choices will help, but you can’t use them as a substitute for good oral hygiene practices. There really are many foods to improve your teeth.
5. Dairy foods
Dairy products are rich in calcium, and this is one of the most powerful elements for strong, healthy teeth. If you want your teeth to sparkle, eating a small amount of cheese after your meals will certainly help because the casein and whey protein present in cheese helps to prevent enamel demineralization, the calcium helps to build stronger, healthier teeth and the process or eating the cheese helps to neutralise acidity.
If you eat dairy foods regularly, your teeth will be re-mineralised and shinier. If you are intolerant to lactose, you can opt for alternatives based on soy. Here are some dairy foods you should include in your diet:
• Cheese: it is a tasty product that can be found in a wide range of variants. Cheese can help increase the Ph level in the mouth and protect the teeth against decay. It can also increase the production of saliva which acts as a shield against damaging bacteria.
• Yogurt: this is another product that contains lots of calcium and proteins. It regulates digestion and balances the intestinal flora. The probiotics in yogurt strengthen the gums because they help regulate bacteria levels. Don’t counteract the positive effects of yogurt choosing products that contain high quantities of sugar.
6. Sugar-free gum
Chewing sugar-free gum causes you to generate saliva, and this helps to ’wash’ the teeth of food particles and build up plaque, which can cause discoloration of the teeth, cavities and other painful problems. Just make sure the gum you choose really is sugar-free or a cavity could be in your future.
Use healthy foods to strengthen your teeth
If you try to add all of the above foods and drinks to your diet, and you make an effort to avoid the really bad stuff like candies and sweet treats, as well as some little-known dental health destroyers like raisins and bananas, you should see a marked improvement in your mouth health.
*Please note: this is general information only. Please do your own research and use common sense! All these foods are natural and safe but there is a lot more to straight, strong, healthy teeth than just a good diet. Go to your dentist for regular checkups and make sure you floss and brush!